Tipperary Carers Provide A Quarter Of A Million Hours Of Care Per Week – Mattie McGrath

Independent TD Mattie McGrath has expressed his profound admiration for the Carers of Tipperary after it was found that they provide a staggering 256,120 hours of care per week. This breaks down to an average of 42.1 hours per carer per week:

“These statistics which have been provided by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) only serve to confirm the heroic efforts that are being made each and every day of the week by the Carers of County Tipperary.

The findings also record that 7,041 people stated that they “provided regular unpaid personal help for a friend or family member with a long-term illness, health problem or disability” and that this comprised 4.4% of the county’s population in April 2016.

Of the carers in the county, 4,225 were female (60.0%), and 2,816 were male (40.0%).

What is deeply concerning however is the finding that there were 138 carers aged under 15 years. This is a situation that demands immediate examination.

These statistics demonstrate the clear need for government to prioritise and fully resource Carers needs and to ensure that they are provided with every level of assistance possible.

When you have a sector of our society providing over a quarter of a million of hours of care every week then it is very clear that the work they are doing is of fundamental importance.

That must be reflected in the governments approach to Carers and their families,” concluded Deputy McGrath.